Young Spanish driver Marta Garcia put in a dominating performance at the Norisring to clinch her first ever W Series victory.
Eighteen year old Garcia drove brilliantly all weekend and earned huge credit for the way she handled the German circuit. She seized pole position during qualifying and followed it up impeccably as she lead the whole race to win and send herself to third in the W Series Championship.
Championship leader Jamie Chadwick finished third and her nearest rival, Beitske Visser closed the gap on her as she finished second in the fourth race of the six race series.
Visser started the day in fifth place on the grid but a fantastic move into turn one saw her exit the first corner in second place.
She overtook Chadwick and the top three retained their formation throughout the race. However, the Norisring race wasn’t without incident.
For the second race in a row, British driver Alice Powell was forced to retire with just three laps remaining. Powell suffered an injured wrist after an incident with Esmee Hawkey during Friday’s practice and endured further frustration when she had a gearbox problem in qualifying, leaving her starting from the back of the grid.
Despite the accident with Powell, Hawkey managed to secure her best finish of the season in Germany and crossed the line in ninth.
Fellow Brit Jessica Hawkins was also forced into retirement at the same time as Powell after a terminal power loss. Hawkins will have been left disappointed after qualifying in sixth and maintaining the position until her retirement.
Japanese driver Miki Koyama continued her points scoring form with yet another battle on track which saw her climb from ninth to sixth, meaning its her fourth consecutive race where she’s scored points.
Naomi Schiff was all smiles too as her home race in Germany ended with her also equalling her best ever finish in the W Series as she ended the day in tenth.
However, arguably the most impressive moment of the day was Emma Kimilainen who finished in fifth after starting in eighth and even clocked the fastest lap of the day at the Norisring. Her strong race performance was made even better considering the Finnish racer missed the last two races due to an injury.
Up next is the Dutch race in Assen where there’s bound to be plenty of support for home racer Visser who’s currently second in the Championship. However, Chadwick could spoil the Dutch party as a win could see her seal the W Series crown.
[table id=3974 /]
